Soldiers Arrest 11 Illegal Border Crossers From Cambodia

Sakaeo — Military forces have apprehended 11 foreign nationals and one Thai citizen who illegally entered Thailand from Cambodia through a natural border crossing. The detainees claim they fled an online scam operation after being promised $200 USD daily wages they never received.

On July 6, troops from the Northeastern Army Command's Khok Sung Special Operations Unit, including the 1205 Ranger Company and multiple border patrol operations, were conducting routine patrols when they discovered suspects attempting to illegally cross at the natural border point near the 41-42 boundary markers in Ban Ang Sila, Nong Mak Moon Subdistrict, Khok Sung District, Sakaeo Province. All 11 detainees were taken into custody without valid travel documents or identification.

The detainees—comprising seven Bangladeshis, one Chinese national, two Vietnamese, and one Thai—confessed they had worked at restaurants and online sales operations in Phnom Penh for three months after being recruited by a Chinese acquaintance known as "Sun Weia." They were promised $200 USD daily but never received payment. Facing increased Cambodian crackdowns on foreign nationals, they decided to flee.

The suspects further disclosed they paid 8,000 baht per person to human smugglers who drove them from Phnom Penh to the border and hired three Cambodian guides to lead them through the natural crossing. The guides escaped before troops arrived.

All 11 detainees were transferred to Khok Sung Police Station for legal proceedings. Authorities are expanding their investigation to pursue the smuggling network and anyone else involved.